Rising rates of chronic illness among younger people and women are changing the picture of chronic disease in Canada, according to Sun Life data.
Forty-five per cent of Canadians now live with a chronic disease, said Alexandra Dalkie, the insurer’s director of ePharmacy, during Benefits Canada’s 2026 Chronic Disease at Work conference. While older Canadians have the highest prevalence rate of chronic illness, Sun Life’s claims data found that, between 2019 and 2023, the highest claims growth rate for asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol was for individuals aged 30 and younger.
“More and more Canadians are starting to enter the workforce with a newly diagnosed chronic disease that they’re likely to be managing throughout their entire employment time. It really creates the opportunity for employers to get involved, whether it has to do with prevention or management of chronic disease.”
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Dalkie also pointed to differences in chronic diseases between men and women. While men have more chronic disease claims overall, women had an almost 40 per cent higher growth rate in diabetes claims than men, as well as higher growth rates for high cholesterol and asthma. Women under age 50 are two-times more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than men in the same age group. Women also have a 1.7-times higher prevalence of depression than men.
For employers, these findings highlight the importance of chronic disease management programs that feel inclusive to all employees, she noted.
Chronic disease management programs are specific to “high-impact” chronic diseases, said Dalkie, by providing support, education and motivation to people who are managing an existing chronic condition or navigating a new diagnosis.
These programs need to be complemented with coverage for necessary medications, she said, noting mental-health support is also “super important” in helping employees returning to work after a health-related leave, or to help them manage the psychological and physical impacts of chronic illness.
Read: Supporting employees with chronic, complex conditions helps manage benefits costs
About half of people managing chronic conditions adhere to the recommended lifestyle changes for their illness, said Dalkie, indicating that programs offered through benefits “can really make some meaningful impacts in terms of health outcomes for employees, and also in terms of plan sustainability.”
According to Sun Life, employers that raise awareness about these programs and encourage uptake have the highest rates of employee engagement compared to organizations that take a more passive role. Employers can share information about these support programs through their existing wellness activities, she said, such as through a webinar and sharing educational printouts in the office kitchen or on the company intranet.
Read more coverage of the 2026 Chronic Disease at Work conference.